Begin Again
by Skitzylou
Summary: Lou comes to the town of Ebott for college. She finds it difficult to adjust and make friends until she gets involved in the lives of a certain pair of skeletons and their group of friends. Sans has finally started getting used to the idea of life on the surface. No more resets. It's still dull, but he can live with that...until he gets close to his brother's new friend.
1. Story Time

**Chapter 1:** _ **Story Time**_

Libraries and bookstores were always nice. They were quiet and peaceful, good places to get away from things, to find adventure without ever needing to leave your chair. It was nice that even though it wasn't a library, a bookstore held the same principle. Quiet, calm, a sanctuary for any good bookworm. Lou loved visiting the local bookstore. It was right next to a little café that always seemed to have at least a few people sitting and reading a book they just got. The world today was too chaotic, too violent and cruel. Here, everything was calm, everything was safe.

About a year or two ago monsters rejoined the world. Apparently they were real and had been trapped underground for thousands of years, if not longer. They'd been trapped under a mountain known as Mt. Ebott, suffering for years and were only now being allowed to rejoin the world after a human child fell in and broke the barrier that trapped them all beneath the surface. Transition was rough though, some people feared them and others hated them. Some didn't mind or care while some were excited. It was something so new and unexpected; the world didn't know how to react. New laws and regulations were still being made and put into place as humans and monsters tried to learn how to coexist once again.

Lou was a college student who recently transferred in from out of state and skimmed over the titles on the shelves. She started her usual routine with a look in the manga section, checking for the next issue of any book series she was currently reading or perhaps a new one to add to her ever growing list. So far she came up with nothing, the issues either had yet to come out or simply weren't in stock. Instead, she settled with looking at a few interesting titles, some books she read online and had yet to buy a physical copy. The store was quiet, calm; the only sounds were of the quiet rustling of pages, feet walking along the carpet floors between the aisles, the door at the front opening and closing with the small chime of a bell when a customer walked through or of people purchasing their new books at the registers. All was peaceful and calm, just the way she liked it.

Her peaceful silence was soon shattered as a loud voice startled the poor girl from her imagination, causing her to jump and fumble with her book. The offending sound came from the other side of the shelf behind her.

"SANS! COME LOOK AT THIS! THEY HAVE THAT MANGA ALPHYS AND UNDYNE LIKE!"

"that's cool bro." The second voice was much quieter than the first, deeper and a bit lazy.

Feeling her curiosity get the best of her, Lou walked around and peeked behind the bookshelf, trying to get a look at who was yelling in a quiet place like this. Such a loud voice was like thunder to anyone nearby. Once she poked her head around, she saw two skeletons. Two very tall skeletons. One, the one she supposed must have been yelling, was the tallest of the two. They seemed the most energetic. They were lanky, with a longer body structure than the first. Their outfit looked rather normal, a brightly colored button up shirt with rolled up sleeves and a pair of jeans. The only odd part was the bright red boots and the tattered red scarf-cape around their neck.

The second was shorter than the first, a wider build and almost seemed to be…fat? It could have just been the baggy clothing, she wasn't sure. They were certainly rounder. Unlike their taller counterpart, their eye sockets seemed to have little lights in them to work as pupils, whereas the taller skeleton's sockets were dark and empty. This one had a large grin stuck to their face, though it seemed to come more from their facial structure than them actually smiling. They wore a large blue jacket over a black t-shirt with a white ribcage on it, rather ironic and probably owned simply for the joke aspect of it. They also wore a pair of black gym shorts and…were those fluffy slippers with socks?

"can we help ya with somethin' there, kid?" Lou flinched as those little dots of light were suddenly focused on her, the shorter skeleton turning slightly to look at her more. Sans, as the taller skeleton had called them, had inadvertently alerted the louder of the two to her presence.

"HELLO, HUMAN!" The tall skeleton's teeth moved to almost look like they were smiling. It was a friendly gesture, but paired with the yelling voice it did nothing to calm her nerves. It was only made worse as the tall skeleton stepped around their companion to get closer to the much smaller human girl. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! DID YOU NEED HELP, HUMAN?"

Lou stared at them through her hair, swallowing a lump that formed in her throat. Her hair was short, but a bit overgrown since her last haircut, her bangs always dangling in her face. "Um…um…u-uh…y-you um…"

"SANS, IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE HUMAN? THEY SEEM TO BE HAVING TROUBLE TALKING…ARE THEY SICK?" Papyrus moved closer, placing a boney hand on her forehead. "THEY DON'T APPEAR TO HAVE A FEVER…" Lou flinched from their touch, going stiff.

"you should try giving them a bit of space, bro." The shorter of the two raised a boney brow. Wait, how'd they do that if they were made of bone? "maybe they've never met a monster before."

"GOOD IDEA, DEAR BROTHER! IT MUST NOT BE EVERY DAY YOU MEET SOMEONE AS COOL AS ME!" As per the brother's request, Papyrus backed off to stand beside their sibling, still smiling at her. Sans smiled too, though it seemed lazy and out of habit rather than for reassurance. The look in his sockets was sympathetic but also cautious, like he wasn't sure if he could trust her.

"U-um…um…y-you um…c-could uh…" Lou looked between them again, wringing her hands and rubbing at her fingers and knuckles nervously. "Um…v-very loud a-and uh…"

Sans seemed to catch on, sighing and nodding ever so slightly before looking to his brother. "hey bro, i think you might need to turn the volume down a bit."

"WHAT? SANS WHAT ARE YOU- …" With a quick look to Lou, who had once again flinched from his booming voice, he paused. He looked around him, only now noticing the quiet environment of the bookstore as well as a few people in the nearby aisles starting to stare, one or two holding fingers to their lips to shush him. "Oh, I See. My Apologies, Human. I Didn't Realize How Loud I Was Being." Papyrus smiled sheepishly again, rubbing at his neck. "I Hope You Can Forgive Me…"

Lou gave him a small smile in return. His voice was still a bit loud, but now at a much more reasonable volume. It would do. "I-it's fine." She nodded softly before going back to the aisle she'd been in before and picked up a new book, flipping through its pages. This one she didn't have, but usually read it by herself online. It was a good manga. Maybe she should buy the actual thing? Having it in paper was always better than a digital copy or reading it on a website anyway, easy to find and you didn't need to worry about the comic or website being taken down or deleted.

"What Are You Reading, Human?"

Lou squeaked, jumping and snapping the book shut. She quickly whipped her head around; jumping away again as she saw his skull was right next to her face. Papyrus had apparently decided that rather than leave their meeting as it was, he was going to follow her and peek at the book over her shoulder. At seeing her distress, the skeleton straightened up and took a small step back.

"Apologies, Human! I, The Great Papyrus, Didn't Mean To Startle You!" He gave her an apologetic smile, earning another shy one from her.

"Th-that's okay." Lou nodded softly at him.

"So, What Are You Reading?" Once again, he tried to look at her book. It was a manga called The Ancient Magus' Bride. The cover showed a human girl with short red hair and blue eyes, much unlike her own choppy brown hair and mud colored eyes hidden behind messy bangs. The human girl on the book looked like she was about to sit down for tea with someone who had an animal skull for a head, long horns on its head and dressed in robes that would suggest he was the Magus the book was talking about.

"Th-the Ancient Magus' Bride." She held up the book a little so he could see. He leaned down to her height to look at it better, studying the cover for a moment before turning his sockets to her. Well…at least it felt like he did. He didn't exactly have eyes or floating lights. "Um…i-it's about this um…magic guy and uh…he buys this girl from a slave market t-to be his apprentice a-and his wife? Uh…i-it probably sounds kinda bad b-but it's actually pretty cool a-and sweet once you g-get through the first book…um…y-yeah."

Papyrus grabbed at his chin, humming in amusement. "Hmm…So You Are Saying That This Manga Is About A Human And A Monster Getting Married?"

"W-well I uh…I-I guess that's one way to put it? Y-yeah, kinda? A-at least that's w-what's supposed to happen…e-eventually. I-I haven't s-seen if they do get married. Th-there's m-more to it than that b-but um…"

"And You Like This Story?"

"H-huh?" Lou paused, blinking. "W-well…yeah? I-it's a good story, w-why?" She tilted her head, hair parting a little to let one eye peek through. "I-I've always liked stories with friendly monsters and creatures in them."

Papyrus looked at her a moment before smiling. He seemed pleased with her answer for whatever reason. "Well Of Course Monsters Are Friendly, Human! We Are Anything But!" He straightened to his full height again. "Honestly, I'm Still Not Sure Where Humans Get The Idea That Monsters Are Bad And Want To Hurt Them All Of The Time." The tall skeleton huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"W-well i-if it makes you feel any better, I-I've never really believed all those bad stories about monsters in the news. Th-they always seemed n-nice enough to me, e-even though you're the first ones I've ever met." Lou smiled, still holding the book in her hands. "You and y-your brother seem nice enough t-to me."

Papyrus gasped, clasping his hands to the sides of his skull as stars shimmered in his sockets. Wait, what? How were there stars? "Wowie! A Genuine Compliment! Did You Hear That Sans? This Human Gave Us A Genuine Compliment!"

"heh, good for you, bro." Lou jumped, turning to find Sans standing right beside her. When had he gotten there?

"It Was For Both Of Us, Sans! And Don't Scare The Human! They Seem Skittish Enough Without You Frightening Them."

Beside her, Sans seemed to pause as he realized she really had complimented both of them. His cheekbones lit up a light shade of blue. Before she could get a good look he cleared his nonexistent throat and gave her a friendly wink, the blue now gone. "heh, sorry about that kiddo." He smiled, a genuine one this time and not one of those lazy grins he'd been making before. "hope i didn't give you a rough time."

Lou blinked up at him, her eye once again peeking from under her hair. She shook her head and smiled softly. "I'm fine." The girl hadn't noticed, but the faint blue had dusted his cheek bones again just before she turned back to his brother.

"Say Human, Do You Read A Lot Of These?" Papyrus pointed to the book in her hand. "Some Friends Of Ours Love These Kinds Of Books And I Was Thinking Of Getting Them Some New Material To Read. They Are Always Reading The Same Old Things From Back In The Underground…"

"Um, I-I wouldn't say I read a-all that much b-but I may be able t-to help." Lou set the book down and went back to the aisle they'd been in before. In the spot Papyrus had been looking was a small collection of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. "Is this the one they like?"

"yup, that's the one. good eye, kid." Sans looked up at the book, a lazy grin back on his face.

"D-do you know w-what else they might like to r-read? O-obviously they like magical girl anime." Lou pulled out a book or two, flipping through the pages before putting it back. It was kinda bad. Obviously a rip-off anime. It got popular enough to get a second season and merchandise, but it was still a rip-off.

"Well Undyne Likes Anything With Big Swords And Giant Robots, While Alphys Seems To Love Complex Story Plots…And Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. But Don't Mention Season 2, She Hates That Season."

The human girl looked over a few more books before setting them back on the shelf. Skimming over the other nearby titles she started plucking them from shelves, skimming through pages before putting them back or holding onto them. "Alright, well based on that alone I-I think I f-found some they m-might be interested in. I-I also grabbed Tokyo Mew Mew, th-the manga that Kissy Cutie ripped off."

"ripped off?" Sans looked at her a moment, his brow rising again. Sometime she'd really need to ask about that.

Lou just nodded. "Kissy Cutie is a rip-off of Tokyo Mew Mew. Tokyo came first a-and Kissy Cutie came a-a little while later and copied many aspects o-of the original. I-it's not uncommon. B-basically they tried t-to ride the wave of p-popularity that the f-first had made. I-I guess it worked enough for a while but ah…they messed up in season 2 and never g-got much farther after that." She handed the manga over to Papyrus. "Th-that should be a good enough start to f-find something for your friends. I-if they don't like them o-or already have one they c-can always come back and trade it in f-for something else that they like here."

Papyrus' eyes lit up with stars again and a large grin spread over his skull. How Lou could tell all of that with bone and a lack of lips she had no idea. Whatever it was, seeing him so happy made her happy in turn. It was infectious. "Wowie! Alphys And Undyne Will Love These! Thank You, Human! You Have Been Most Helpful! Please, Allow The Great Papyrus To Return The Favor."

"O-oh, y-you don't have to do that, r-really. I-I was mostly j-just seeing if any of m-my current books had any new issues out, th-that's all. B-but thank you." Lou ducked her head shyly, holding up her hands to politely wave away his offer. "B-besides, i-it was no problem."

"Well, Would You Mind If My Brother And I Accompanied You As You Walk Around The Store? It Just Doesn't Feel Right To Leave You On Your Own." Papyrus offered another smile.

"Um…w-well you two do seem very nice…a-and I would enjoy the company…"

"Splendid!" Papyrus grinned and straightened his back, puffing out his chest as he struck a heroic pose: one hand wrapped into a fist and thumped to his chest while the other rested at his hip. "I, The Great Papyrus, Will Make Sure You Have Plenty Of Fun And That No Harm Comes To You, Human! Nyeh Heh Heh!"

"heh, ditto i guess." Sans shrugged. His boney hands slipped into his pockets. Lou just noticed how big they were. His hand could probably cover her whole head!

Papyrus dropped the pose as he leaned down to match her eye level once again. He was so tall he would have a better time at it if he simply dropped into a crouch. Then again, that would make her feel like a child. "Human, I Just Realized That I Don't Know Your Name! How Terribly Rude Of Me, I Apologize For Not Learning My New Friend's Name Sooner!"

Lou didn't flinch away this time, instead looking up into his eye sockets, something she rarely even did with other humans. Had he called her his friend? She didn't think she'd done very much, and she'd only just met them at the bookstore, friend seemed a bit soon. Then again, with the happy look on his face she couldn't bring herself to tell him otherwise. Friends it was. "L-Lou. M-my name is Lou."

 **Author's** **Note:** **_6-20-17: added some proofing, story unchanged._**


	2. Not-So-Spooky or Scary Skeletons

**Author's Note:** **_Just so you know, I'm going to try showing a change in POV with the . . . thing and changes between scenes with the lines. Of course, not all . . .'s will mean a POV change, as I also tend to use them for tiny time skips. Hmm...maybe I should try finding something else for those...meh, you guys're smart._**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** _ **Not-So-Spooky or Scary Skeletons**_

Having the two skeletons as company proved to be a bit more than what Lou originally expected. It was more interesting, more fun, more confusing, just…more on so many levels. Then again, she'd never really hung out with a monster before…and she didn't really get out much socially to begin with so there was that. Maybe she was just socially tired today and overthinking it. Papyrus kept his word of keeping her safe, even though there wasn't really anything to protect her from. He proved to be the more energetic of the two skeletal brothers, even more so than any human she'd ever been around. Part of it made her exhausted but yet another part made her want to…join in on his enthusiasm? She wasn't sure what exactly it was but something about his boundless energy made her want to bounce around like a child. Of course, her timid nature stopped all of that in its tracks and instead settled for small laughter and a smile.

Papyrus wasn't as into the anime books as she was, but boy he sure loved puzzles. Lou led him to the crossword and puzzle book section and he looked like he'd just entered heaven. If they hadn't advised against it he just might have bought every single book in the aisle. Cook books were also a big hit with the tall monster, especially anything with pasta. Okay, more like anything with spaghetti, but other kinds of pasta were just as good.

Sans seemed to love cracking jokes. Any chance he got he cracked a pun. Papyrus didn't seem pleased with any of them and practically begged his brother to stop. The larger skeleton also took a few glances at some Sci-Fi and physics books when he thought no one was looking (of course Lou totally noticed). Lou tried to make sure she remembered these small details about what they liked or disliked. The skeletons both seemed very nice and if she could she wanted to get to know them, become actual friends and not just someone she met once.

 **. . .**

Sans kept a close eye socket on the human. This Lou kid seemed nice enough, but if his experience with humans was anything to go off of he had to stay on guard. She took all of this pretty well for the average human; especially for one meeting monsters for the first time like she'd said. Papyrus was a cool guy, there was no doubt, but he didn't exactly have good radar for bad people with ill intent. He was just too kind for that. All of them had issues when they'd first met humans on the surface world. Most humans feared them, but Lou seemed different. Still skittish and jumpy, but she didn't seem afraid. Part of him got the feeling that's just how she was around people and monsters.

Sans huffed out a breath of air, looking the human girl over. She was small, barely even reaching his chest. Heck, the top of her head only just reached his bottom ribs. Monsters were notoriously larger than humans but even this much of a difference was a bit ridiculous; she was practically child sized. If she'd fallen into the underground instead of Frisk and wore a striped shirt he had no doubt everyone would have thought her to be much younger than she truly was. Her hair was a short brown too, choppy bangs that were a little overgrown and hanging in front of her eyes. How she still saw through those was a wonder to him, but somehow she seemed to look at them and read books just fine. From the slight peek he managed to get at her eyes they were a deep brown with long, dark lashes; not wearing a single bit of that makeup that other human females seemed to cake on their faces.

Other human girls wore weird outfits that showed far too much of their skin and looked too thin to keep them warm when it got cold. Everything was tight fitting and impractical, but not with Lou. Not with this one. She wore an army green hoodie that looked like it might be a size too large for her and on the back was simply the word 'NOPE' in all caps and off-white bolded letters. The letters were faded along with the color of the hoodie, showing how many times it had been worn and washed. He hadn't noticed the nope until she'd first turned away from them to go back to the other aisle. The girl also wore a simple pair of boot cut jeans and sneakers. Simple, sweet, and comfortable.

Geez, when Paps had followed after her he almost wanted to scream. He just knew his sockets had gone empty when he hissed out his brother's name, mentally urging him to not follow. But he had, and now they were spending the day with her. Apparently. If he was honest it wasn't all that bad, like he said she seemed like a sweet girl. Paps liked her and she seemed to genuinely enjoy his company. At least he thought so. Lou was a bit quiet and had an almost constant neutral face (almost like a certain human child). She smiled a little when Papyrus talked to her though. It was cute and small. Kid seemed to like his puns too. He caught a small smile whenever he busted a few of them out before Papyrus complained for him to stop. So far though the most he managed to get out of her was a small snicker, and even then he wasn't sure if he'd actually heard it.

"Oh! I-I almost forgot!" Lou froze while looking through the children's books with Papyrus.

"What Is It, Human Lou?" Paps tilted his head in concern. The human hardly answered before dashing off in another direction, leaving the two of them behind. Sans looked to his brother curiously for a moment, following as his brother quickly went after her. Her run was a little bouncy, not even actually a run. It was more like a small, adorable bounce jog. Wait, why was he thinking that? _stop that. she's a human you just met. quit it._ Once they caught up Lou was skimming over books in the astronomy section. Sans couldn't help but raise a brow, curious on what exactly she was doing over here. "Human Lou?"

She didn't answer, just kept skimming over the book titles. For a moment she looked a bit dismayed before perking up, smiling wide. "Oh! Yay! It's here!" Her voice went up in pitch, a happy little squeak that made Sans flinch a moment before he felt magic heat up his cheekbones. Shit, why was this happening to him? Not even Frisk had been able to make him crack this easily, and they were a child! Plus, they had a few hundred resets to work on it.

"What Did You Find, Human Lou?" His brother leaned over her shoulder, practically bending his whole upper body over her head to look at the title of the book. She flinched a little when she noticed they were there, but quickly seemed to relax and hold up the book for him to see.

"I-it's the book I n-need for m-my class. I-I'm taking Introduction to Astronomy a-as one of my classes." She smiled shyly. "I-I completely forgot to check i-if I might be able to f-find some of my books here."

"Are There Any Other Books You Need, Human Lou?" Papyrus gave her a curious look.

"Um…I-I have all but one other b-book coming in the mail. I-it's for my English class. Th-they should have it, b-but it may be a bit hard to find. I-I'm not sure what genre it's under…" The human girl looked down, fidgeting as whatever thoughts she had ran through her head. Sans figured she may be considering her options. Did she look all over the store or did she try asking an employee for help?

Papyrus easily made the decision for her. "Well That's Easy, Human Friend! We Can Just Ask Someone Who Works Here! I'm Sure They'd Know Where To Find The Book You Need!" The taller skeleton took her hand in his gloved one and lightly pulled her along to the nearest help desk. As his younger brother pulled the small human along Sans couldn't help but glance at their hands. Hers were so tiny compared to the taller skeleton. He had no doubt that even if he weren't wearing gloves they'd still dwarf the human's hand. Sans couldn't even see the light flesh amongst the bright red of his brother's glove; it was like her hand had disappeared entirely and had simply been absorbed by the clothe, the only trace of it being there in the first place being the faded green of her hoodie's sleeve.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to find an employee, get the book, and check out soon after. Lou happily managed to buy the two books she needed as well as snag a copy of the Magus' Bride manga from earlier. They got a few new books for Alphys and Undyne, the friends mentioned by the brothers from before. Papyrus had picked up a book from the Fluffy Bunny series as well as a new crossword and puzzle book, while Sans stood off to the side and shrugged, getting nothing for himself. When asked, he simply stated that he didn't need anything. This made Lou frown, earning a puzzled look from the large skeleton as they left the store.

"Human Lou!" Papyrus stopped, looking down at their tiny new human companion.

"Y-you can just call me Lou, Papyrus." She gave him a gentle smile that set the tall skeleton's cheeks ablaze. "We're friends, s-so just Lou is fine."

"R-Right!" Paps quickly regained his composure, Nyeh heh-ing as he placed his hands on his hips. "I Was Wondering," his pose dropped as he bent down slightly to be closer to her level, "If You Are Not Busy Would You Like To Join Sans And I At The Café? A Friend Of Ours Own The Place."

Lou gave the two of them a blank stare, pausing to pull out her phone to check the time. It was just past noon and none of them had anything to eat just yet. "Um…"

Before she could reply, Sans cut in. They'd been taking up enough of this human's time, besides he wasn't sure how much of this weird feeling he got around her he could take. "come on bro, i'm sure the kid has a lot to-"

Papyrus's face fell a moment, seeming disheartened. "A-actually," the skeleton perked up ever so slightly at her voice. She held up a finger, her phone back in her pocket as she looked between the two of them. "I-I uh…d-don't actually have anything just yet, s-so I don't mind. I-I was kinda already thinking of going in anyway."

At that the tall skeleton beamed, sending light warmth spreading through her chest. How could anyone ever say no to such a sweet cinna-bun? She was so focused on his smiling face that she didn't even noticed the flushed grimace that replaced Sans's usual permanent smile. "Splendid! Let's Go Then, Huma- er…Lou!" Papyrus took her hand again and led her into the small café.

The café was a small one, the color scheme made of pinks and purples with spider webs painted on the glass windows. Cute faded pink curtains hung open along the sides of each one, giving it a homey look around the building's logo. It was called simply Muffet's Café. Lou always thought it was cute, figuring it might be a reference to the nursery rhyme or something. What she didn't expect was that the spider theme was because…well, it was a shop run by monster spiders! Amongst the humans and monsters sitting at the many tables were small spiders hanging from webs or skittering around helping to serve each table. Behind the counter was a more humanoid spider woman with purple skin and five black eyes, dressed in a puffy dress that made her remember the nursery rhyme again.

She smiled brightly as they walked up to the counter, small fangs becoming a bit more prominent. "Sans! Papyrus! Hello dearies, how are you doing?" Her dark eyes fell on the human standing between them, making the smaller human blush and hide behind the taller of the two. "Oh? And who's this little one?" Lou flushed even more from basically being called a child.

"This Is Our New Human Friend, Lou! We Just Met Them At The Bookstore And They Helped Us Find A Few Books To Show To Alphys And Undyne!" Papyrus puffed out his chest proudly, still using his more inside voice as he stepped aside to push the shy human in front of him. He leaned forward and not-so-subtly whispered to Muffet. "I Think They May Be A Bit Shy Around People, So Please Don't Startle Them."

Muffet just giggled and waved him off with one of her six arms. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it, dearie! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine." She looked back down at the human with a smile so sweet it could have given anyone a cavity. "It's nice to meet you, sugar fang. Can I get you anything?"

"N-nice to meet you too…" Lou's voice had softened significantly, much like it had been earlier that day. She glanced up at the menu hanging above the counter, likely scanning over the different treats and drinks. "C-can I get um…a-a uh…s-spider cider? A-and um…" Her gaze shifted to the many snacks and pastries displayed behind some glass. "O-one of these?" She pointed to a panini-like sandwich with cheese melted on top in the design of a spider web. It was the closest thing to a lunch item that didn't seem like a sweet. While a spider donut seemed nice, she wasn't sure she wanted one for a meal. Perhaps another time when she was stopping by for a snack?

"Oh~! Excellent choice dear, spider cider is one of our most popular drinks. And for you boys?"

The brothers each ordered their own drinks and food before going to a booth to sit down, Lou getting placed beside Sans. His face seemed to turn a light shade of blue when her side touched his, the space in the booth making it a bit difficult to fit them both at the same time. She noticed this and quickly flinched away when her arm bumped into his…belly? Strange, she didn't see how a skeleton could have a squishy belly. "S-sorry, do um…d-do you want me to switch sides?"

"no!" His sudden outburst caused her to jump, eyes widening under her bangs. "i mean uh…you're fine, kid. i don't _grind_ it that much." His grin widened just a fraction as the pun sunk in.

Papyrus groaned while Lou bit her lips and snrked, bringing up a hand to hide her smile. "Heh, good. I was a bit worried I _brew_ it."

Sans's grin only grew. "Oh Not You Too Human," Papyrus wailed.

"What? I didn't do anything." Lou titled her head to pretend to look away innocently, a giddy smile on her face. "I'm just trying to _espresso_ myself."

"i think you're _bean_ a little harsh there, Paps."

"You Two Are Terrible."

"i _donut_ think they're so bad."

"I like a _latte_ jokes, but _dishes_ getting ridiculous." Lou giggled. "Uh…okay, I'm outta good café puns."

Sans just shrugged. "eh, no _bones_ about it kid. _tibia_ honest that wasn't half bad."

The human girl raised a brow and grinned. "Think you're pretty _humorous_ don't you?" The skeleton just gave her a set of finger guns and winked. With a chuckle and a shrug she folded her arms on the table, resting her chin on top of them. "Eh, mine are pretty _half-baked_." Sans barked out a booming belly laugh that shook her down to her bones and Papyrus gave a muffled scream from behind his gloves. Lou herself just grinned.

* * *

Eating at Muffet's had to be some of the most fun Lou had ever had. Sans exchanged a few more jokes with her while Muffet smiled at the trio from her counter. When they finally left, Lou made sure to tip the friendly spider before promising to stop by again the next time she visited the bookstore.

"You're welcome to stop by anytime, dearie." The spider woman had just smiled that little fanged smile before waving them off.

"So, Lou, What Do We Do Now?" Papyrus smiled; a gleam in his socket. "I Would Assume Your Parents Wouldn't Want You Out Too Late."

Lou tilted her head up to look at him, blinking. "My…parents…?"

"Yes!" The skeleton stood proudly. "While I Do Not Understand Why A Human Parent Would Leave Their Child Unattended For So Long I Am Sure It Must Be Because Of How Brave And Independent You Are And They Trust You Will Be Careful On Your Own!"

There was a light clack from bone hitting bone as Sans face palmed, trying to hide the growing grin on his face. Beside him, Lou just stared blankly. "Uh…Papyrus? Um…h-how old do you think I am?"

Papyrus blinked, yet another phenomenon she'd probably never understand. "About 12, Why?" The human looked to Sans, who was trying to hold back his giggles.

"i wanna say at least 17 or 18, because of the college books." He looked like he was about to fall over laughing. Bastard. "but uh…without the context? yeah, about 12. sorry kid."

"God fricking dammit…" The human frowned, crossing her arms over her chest in an annoyed huff. Papyrus looked at his brother in concern while Sans, who'd finally reigned in his snickers and giggles, just shrugged and closed one eye before lazily stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "I'm 21…friggin' jerks…"

Papyrus's face was struck with a look of pure horror while Sans choked on air, wheezing out a laugh as he grabbed onto his brother's sleeve to keep himself up. While one looked like he was ready to die of embarrassment, the other was about to keel over from laughing to hard. "oh my stars kid, are you serious?! no way you're 21!"

With a grumble, Lou fished out her wallet from the Stitch crossbody purse hanging off her shoulder, opening her wallet and holding up her ID to the two skeletons. Both of them leaned down to look over the small card before shock once again returned to their features. She noted how Sans's eye lights went out completely. Papyrus looked like he was internally screaming.

"Oh My Stars. I Am So Sorry For Mistaking You For A Child, New Human Friend Lou! You're…Y-You're Just So- So Small!" The poor cinnamon roll of a monster seemed to be panicking. She still felt a bit upset for being called a child, but sighed. He was too sweet to stay mad at.

"It's fine, Papy. I'm short for my age, so I get that a lot. It's no problem, really." The human reached up and rubbed at his arm. This seemed to cheer him up a bit. Begrudgingly, her words weren't a lie; lots of people mistook her for a child. She was short for her age at a miniscule 4'9" and her chest was…well not flat, but it was small and her choice of clothing probably didn't help. A friend back home once joked about her legally being considered a dwarf and was quickly smacked upside the head for it.

Papyrus flushed and sighed, looking at her solemnly. "I Would Still Like To Apologize For My Mistake, I Should Have Asked Before Assuming Your Age."

"Eh, forget about it. You're forgiven." Lou shrugged.

"Wait, Did You Call Me…Papy…A Moment Ago?"

"Uh…m-maybe?" She paused, tensing up. "I-is that bad? I-it just slipped out, I-I didn't mean to-"

Before she could stutter out a proper apology she was scooped up into a surprisingly strong pair of skeletal arms and hugged tight to the monster's ribcage. Surprisingly enough, it gave off warmth much like a regular human body. His ribs were still rather hard and poked into her smaller flesh covered body, but not in an entirely bad way? Though shocking, it was a very nice hug if not a bit of a tight grip.

"THAT IS THE MOST ADORABLE THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!" Papyrus, back to his original volume, held her close to his chest. Actual stars spun in his black eye sockets, looking quite comical.

"S-so…y-you like it?"

"LIKE IT? I LOVE IT!" The tall skeleton spun in a quick circle, Nyeh heh-ing as the human he held giggled right back. Sans just watched with a lazy grin. He was glad to see his brother and the human getting along, but felt a sharp pang in his soul. It happened when Paps had picked her up and again when she giggled with him. He couldn't help but want to hear that sound again, light and bubbly.

Eventually, the taller of the two finally set her back down.

"I should p-probably get going," she sighed reluctantly. "I have t-to meet up with someone a-about possibly becoming roommates?"

"Do You Need A Ride? The Great Papyrus Would Be More Than Happy To Give You A Lift!"

"Th-that would be nice. D-do you know where Honeysuckle Loop is?" Lou pulled out her phone, skimming through until she found a photo she'd taken of the ad.

"yeah, some friends of ours live down there. what house is it?" Sans leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a look at the address.

"Um…423?" She looked up, noticing his eye lights had gotten rather small. His permanent smile now turned down in a slight frown. "…what?"

Papyrus was beaming again, standing up and proudly puffing out his chest. He and Sans said nothing. Paps simply led her to his red convertible, giving Sans a nudge so he followed. "Nyeh heh heh heh heh." Lou wasn't sure if she should be scared or not.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **_Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, been super busy with college classes and just all around exhausted whenever I get home. Let me know what you think, feel free to come see me on my Tumblr (username is the same), and if you guys have any suggestions or scenarios you'd like to see in coming chapters just put it in a comment below! Also, any feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed, I LOVE hearing from you guys! (love as in excited happy love, not LV love)_**


	3. Roomies

**Chapter 3:** _ **Roomies**_

It didn't take long to get to 423 Honeysuckle Loop with Papyrus' amazing driving skills. He was fast, but still followed all of the traffic laws…somehow. Sans snored from where he napped in the passenger seat while Papyrus continued to remain silent, giggling every now and then when he glanced back at Lou. The whole thing was making her a little nervous. Why was he smiling like that? What was so funny? Should she be worried? Okay, maybe that last one could be pushed aside. These guys were nice and didn't seem the type to want to harm or trick her. This was just her anxiety talking.

As Paps parked though she couldn't help but feel nervous again. This was definitely the house. She looked down at the ad again, going over it carefully. The requirements had been pretty simple. No jerks, could be monster or human, and willing to help pay rent as well as participate in doing chores; it all seemed rather basic for the most part. When applying Lou made sure to let them know she was a college student, a human, and was still looking for a job around town. The two had said that her lack of a job right now should be fine and that whether she passed the interview or not they'd be happy to help her job hunt sometime. The offer had made her feel a little less nervous at the time. These guys seemed to be pretty nice.

The house looked to be a simple two-story home. There was a cute little koi pond out in front and lots of blue and yellow flowers. Lou couldn't help but smile at how cute and pretty it was. When she looked back to where the two skeletons were still getting out of the car, she noticed Papyrus was quickly going around to follow her while Sans had only just barely stepped out of the car and was looking at her with an odd expression. His cheek bones looked a bit blue and it made her tilt her head, brow furrowing and mouth forming a contemplative almost-pout. The blue seemed to deepen. Was he okay? She wanted to ask if he was feeling alright when Papyrus zipped past her, looping an arm around her waist and lifting her up and over his shoulder.

Papyrus hardly paid much attention to her surprised yelp as he jumped up the porch steps. "Nyeh Heh Heh!" He swiftly knocked on the door before placing his free hand on his hip. Lou was unable to see what was going on in front of him, as she was held over his shoulder like a sack of feathers with her back to the door. There was the sound of loud footsteps from inside the house before the door was flung open.

The voice sounded female and was just as loud as Papyrus. "Papyrus! What are you DOING here? We don't have training today! Alphys and I are expecting someone today!" The female voice was gruff and intense, making Lou flinch a little. Did she say Alphys? Wait, did that mean…? Evidently, the loud woman finally noticed the tiny human dangling over's Papy's bony shoulder. "Hey Paps, what'cha got there?" She leaned around to try and get a look.

Lou caught sight of a very tall, toned blue fish woman with long red hair the color of blood. She had one yellow eye, the other covered by an eyepatch. "Who's the PUNK?" When she talked Lou noticed her teeth were sharp and yellowed in color, though she doubted it was from a lack of hygiene.

Papyrus nyeh'd and lifted Lou up underneath her armpits like she was just a big rag doll. "This Is My New Human Friend, Lou! Undyne, Meet Your New Roommate!"

The woman's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth hanging open. Lou quickly lifted up a hand to stop them. "M-maybe roommate, I-I-I st-still need to h-have that interview I-I agreed to?"

Undyne looked her over, lone eye scrutinizing her form. Had she dressed too casually? Her usual outfit tended to consist of a hoodie and jeans with sneakers. Was that bad for a roommate interview? She didn't want to show up in a dress after all, that was way too formal; it wasn't like she was going on a date or anything. "Dude, you're so…tiny…" Lou deflated a bit. Of course it was her height again. It was always her height and how it made her look like a child. "That's AWESOME!" Before she knew it, the fish woman had grabbed her from Papyrus' hands and lifted the poor human up above her head. "You're even SMALLER than Alphys!" She tucked Lou under her arm and stomped her way into the house. "ALPHYS! Come check this out! Guess who's here!"

Lou got a good look at the house from her spot under Undyne's arm. If this was going to become a regular thing with Papyrus and his friends she may as well get used to it beforehand. The house was painted with soft colors and a rather simple layout. There were bits of Japanese culture and cute anime stuff all over the place, but it wasn't overwhelming in its design. Honestly, it was quite nice.

Undyne walked into a living room where a small, albeit bigger than Lou, yellow dinosaur monster that was dressed in a lab coat and glasses as they sat on the couch drinking tea. She jumped a bit when Lou was suddenly dropped into a sitting position right next to her, looking rather blank faced despite the wide surprised eyes hidden beneath her hair.

"Turns out Papyrus ran into that girl who applied to our roommate ad! And look, she's even tinier than you are!" The fish woman, Undyne, placed her hands on her hips and grinned a huge, toothy grin. She looked quite proud of herself.

Alphys looked to the human next to her cautiously, adjusting her glasses. Lou looked back at her, quickly lowering her head shyly and waving.

"H-hi, uh…I-I'm Lou."

Alphys blinked before shyly waving back. "O-oh, hello! I-I-I'm Alphys. N-nice to m-m-meet you, Lou." She held out a clawed hand, offering a nervous smile.

Lou didn't hesitate much as she took it, shaking the other's hand gently. "Y-you too." She returned the smile with her own, soft and a bit nervous.

 **. . .**

The interview had been…interesting to say the least. Papyrus had almost tried inviting himself and Sans to join, but after a quick correction from Alphys and Undyne, he left it be, but not before handing over the manga suggestions from him, his brother, and Lou. They seemed impressed enough with Lou's choices based on what little information she'd been given.

"How did you KNOW about all of these? Have you READ all of these?!" Undyne whipped her head over to Lou so fast she almost thought the fish woman would give herself whiplash.

"Oh uh…n-no. A-a few I picked after skimming though the content of the first two books, b-but most of them I've either read a bit of o-or heard about them from friends. I-I saw you guys seem to like magical girl stuff s-so I tried to grab as much of that a-as I could." She motioned to Shugo Chara and Madoka Magica, which she warned both them and Papyrus that it was apparently very dark as it progressed and she wasn't sure how dark these guys could handle. The human then held up Tokyo Mew Mew. "A-and I heard you liked K-Kissy Cutie, s-so I thought you might like to look at one of the mangas i-it was based off of."

"B-based off of?" Now it was Alphys' turn to look at her. For the past few minutes she'd looked like she was in anime heaven.

Lou nodded. "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie t-tried emulating a lot of p-popular magical girl animes a-and mangas around the time it came out, b-but ultimately most fans noticed the huge s-similarities between the stories and c-content and kind of…d-dismissed it. I-it was a g-good show, b-but ratings majorly dropped a-after season 2 came around." The girl shook her head and sighed. "They v-veered t-too much from the storyline a-a-and plot of the character and fans were e-either outraged o-or disgusted and left. I-I think another magical girl thing they t-tried copying was m-maybe Sailor Moon, b-but then that's almost any magical girl anime since that was like, the beginning of popular magical girl animes. M-maybe also Pre-cure? Or is that a more recent one…I-I forgot."

When she looked up, Alphys was looking at her with wide eyes, manga in her claws dropped onto the couch. She got up and slowly took the human's face in her hands. "Y-you're perfect…"

Undyne boomed a laugh behind them, keeping herself up by placing her hands on her knees. One hand was repeatedly hitting her knee as she just laughed harder and harder. "Oh my GOD Alphys! We haven't even started the interview yet!" She wiped a tear from her eye, finally ushering the skeletons from the room so they could start. When she returned, she sat down on the other side of Lou. "Though to be honest, at this point it's more of a formality than anything. I can't find anything wrong with you."

* * *

By the time they were done, Lou felt like she'd known the two for much longer than just a couple of hours. They were a lot like some friends she'd had in high school, but a bit nicer and more like they'd keep in better touch if they ever had to part ways at some point. They'd talked a lot longer than expected, dissolving into casual girl chatter and forgetting some of the other questions on the list anyway. Alphys and Undyne noticed that as Lou got more comfortable and familiar with them, the less she stuttered and the more her real personality started to show, if only a little bit. She still stuttered by the end, but it wasn't as much as before and she turned out to be quite silly and goofy when she wanted to be.

"So, when can you move in?" Undyne was in her face, making the human girl flinch. The fish woman's antics and intensity would take some getting used to.

"Uh…a-after I get my st-stuff from the hotel?"

"GREAT! Welcome to your new place, roomie!" The blue fish scooped her up into a light headlock and ruffled the girl's hair with her hand. "This is gonna be AWESOME!"

"U-Undyne, p-p-put the human down! Y-you might choke her." Alphys got up, nervously waving her hands a little

Undyne rolled her eyes, but set Lou down anyway. As if like clockwork, Sans and Papyrus poked their heads in.

"Human Lou! Is Your Interview Done Yet? It's Been Quite A While, We Wanted To Check To See If You Were Doing Alright." His sockets glanced between Alphys and Undyne, though she mostly looked at Undyne.

Lou smiled brightly, missing the blue that dusted Sans' cheeks. "Y-yeah. L-looks like I'll be staying over here at Alphys a-and Undyne's now."

"Whoa there punk, it's our house now. You live here too." She beamed, puffing out her chest proudly.

"That's Fantastic!" Papyrus walked into the room completely, scooping Lou up into a big hug. "We Have To Get Your Things And Move You In Immediately! Sans And I Will Even Help Move Your Things! Just Tell Us Where To Go!"

"O-oh uh…w-well it's the small hotel? D-down by the college? I-I can give you directions there if you like, b-but I r-really don't need help moving my stuff out. I-I didn't b-bring all that much to begin with." She flushed shyly. "B-besides, you guys h-have helped me out e-enough already. I-I don't even kn-know where to start i-in thanking you."

Papyrus just smiled down at her in his arms. He'd settled for holding her in a cradling position, which was a bit embarrassing but surprisingly comfortable despite his rib bones poking her side. "Nonsense, New Human Friend! You Are A Friend Of The Great Papyrus, There Is No Thanks Needed For Someone As Great As I!" He was practically glowing with pride. He really was pretty great.

"Th-thank you, Papy." Lou smiled up at him. A hint of orange dusted his cheeks as his smile cracked just a bit. He tried to speak a response but got so flustered that all he managed to get out was a muffled, shaky Nyeh that he muttered into his scarf, which he was currently trying to hide in.

As Lou and Undyne laughed at Papyrus' antics and adorable reactions, Alphys was staring at Sans, hard. The whole time he'd been watching Lou and his brother, but not in that suspicious protective way; not completely at least. He still seemed a bit wary of his brother's new human friend, but at the same time his socket lights kept looking to the girl, his lazy smile softening along with his gaze. Alphys couldn't remember ever seeing Sans like this before. He'd never looked at anyone with that much fondness since his brother, and even then it wasn't the same as this. And that blush from before…he couldn't…could he? This required further study.

 **. . .**

Lou was right when she said she didn't have very much stuff. She had a few small things that could fit in bags or boxes to decorate the room with a little bit, but nothing…major. She had no furniture of her own. She had some stuffed animals, which Sans used to poke a little fun at her. There were a few action figures from cartoons and animes she liked, a big quilt and some pillows, and of course her clothes. She had books and movies, a few games and her consoles, but no TV of her own to set them up on.

"Dude, this is all you've got? This is…kinda pathetic." Undyne looked at everything, the unpacking process taking only an hour. All they'd had to do is put the blanket and pillows on the bed with the plushies, the action figures on a shelf, the consoles in the closet for now, and the books with the games and movies went on some shelves. Clothes were put away in their respective places, either the basic dresser provided or on hangers in the closet.

"W-well I didn't wanna fly a bunch of furniture o-over from friends and family, s-so I told them n-not to get me anything as college gifts." Lou rubbed at her arm. That of course didn't stop them from giving her other things for college, but those didn't need to be mentioned. It was mostly just gift cards to places or money she placed in her savings.

Undyne glared down at the tiny human. "Well this is just sad and I am NOT letting our new roomie stay in here while it's so…bland! Ngyaaaahh! PAPYRUS!" She turned to the tall skeleton who was admiring one of her Transformers toys, an old Scavenger from the Armada series complete with his minicon partner. He stopped while making it do the sounds, loud crashing footstep sound effects coming from the small toy as he looked at them like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar before dinner. Very slowly, he placed the toy back on the shelf. "Start the car! We're going shopping NERDS! Ufufufufufufu!"

Papyrus snapped to attention before bolting out of the room, dragging Sans along with him. Undyne snatched up Alphys and Lou under each arm before bounding after him. Lou blinked from where she once again dangled under the larger monster woman's arm. She glanced at Alphys, who was blushing red and shrugged, before shrugging back and looking ahead. Apparently this was a thing now. Cool.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** ** _Alright guys, I've got one more mostly-planned chapter before I'm gonna need some help thinking up some cute scenarios and shenanigans for these guys to go through, so feel free to send in any and all suggestions you want! Anything from the original story you want to see in here? Something new? Someone you think Lou should meet in the near future? Heck, I'll even take sick day cliches. I can't promise to put it all in in a timely manner but I will definitely see it and see what I can do._**

 ** _Oh, and it'll be super fucking late, but I fully plan on doing a valentine's day chapter._**

 ** _Double oh, if you'd like to see what Lou looks like, there's a link to the image on the AO3 posting of this fic. It takes you to the exact post where I posted it on my personal Tumblr. It should be at the very bottom of the chapter (not in the notes)._**


	4. Author Screwed Up - PLEASE READ!

Hey guys, I know it's been...oof, about 2 years since I updated? I am so so sorry for that! Really I am! Life got hectic and I haven't had the time to write until now. I tried and tried and tried to write you guys the next chapter and I even went back and read my old chapters to get some inspiration when I realized...I completely messed up! I said this was a slow burn and I made Sans waaaayy too into Lou way too early in the story! _Curse my own shipping tendencies._ Anyway...as much as I hate to do this _again_ I'm gonna have to reboot this story. This time I'm keeping the title of Begin Again since it's not an entirely new concept or anything, I'm basically just going "fuck I don't want it to start like this, redo!" if that makes any sense?

I'm really really sorry, I know you guys have been dying for an actual new chapter only to have me reboot this crap yet again (I say again for those of you who moved to AO3 from the original fic here on FF dot net). I'm so so sorry! I really do hate doing this, it kills me every damn time because I _know_ the feeling of having a fic I like being cancelled or redone and it sucks!

Anyway, I'm currently working on the reboot and have for a little while now. I was originally gonna wait until I had a couple of chapters done before I let you guys know but...honestly I'd rather let you guys know ahead of time so that more of you can keep an eye out. When the new fic is finally up, I'll keep this one up for a little while before removing it or, if you guys really want me to, I'll change the title and archive it like I did with Make A Move on here. Oh, and another thing, I plan on moving completely from here on FF to AO3 since I tend to go here more often than there these days anyway.

To reiterate, I'm rebooting the fic, the title and basic story plot is staying the same, uh...anything else I'm missing...? Oh! I was also going to change Lou's name because it was originally a self-insert name but it doesn't feel right anymore? If any of you have ideas for a new name or think I should instead switch her story into a reader-fic instead I'm open to suggestions while I work on the new rebooted chapters!

* * *

I forgot to say this on the AO3 message so I'll put it here, but before moving the fic entirely to a new place, I'll post one final chapter that is pretty much just me laying out all of the story stuff that got scrapped from Make A Move since it was requested. When I did the first reboot there were a lot of things I scrapped or changed that time and it was requested a few times to do a little piece explaining or answering what those were. I'll do my best to list them all out, it's been a while and there were still some ideas I ended up choosing to keep.

EDIT: Whoops, fixed it, should be easier to read now!


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